Chapter 50: Yo, Someone’s About to Shatter.
"What are you doing? Where are you taking me?"
"Xiao Xuanyang, let go! Let go of me!"
Chen Pingting was dragged along by Xiao Li, stumbling as she struggled to keep up, utterly exasperated.
"What on earth are you trying to do?"
’What am I doing? Taking her to see a good show, of course.’
Xiao Li dragged Chen Pingting all the way to the West Garden. At this hour, everyone was either with the Empress Dowager or in the Imperial Garden. The West Garden was near the Cold Palace and rarely visited on a normal day. Now, with all the palace maids off to join the festivities, it was even more deserted.
’What a perfect time and place for a secret rendezvous.’
"Xiao—"
Xiao Li clapped a hand over Chen Pingting’s mouth. "Be quiet. I’m taking you to see something interesting."
Chen Pingting struggled, but Xiao Li simply dragged her along by brute force.
Chen Pingting’s eyes rolled back. "Mmph, mmph, mmph..." ’I’m going to die! Let me go, I can’t breathe!’
Without a backward glance, Xiao Li continued to drag her forward.
Chen Pingting struggled. ’I’m really going to die this time! My feet, my back, my neck...’
Xiao Li calmly scanned the area for her target.
Chen Pingting went limp. ’Okay, I’m dead.’
"SOB, SOB, SOB." That wasn’t Chen Pingting’s voice.
Xiao Li’s eyes lit up. ’Found them.’
She let go. Chen Pingting’s vision also lit up—with stars. Finally... she could breathe again.
Chen Pingting gasped for air, but Xiao Li, thinking she was about to scream again, promptly stuffed a handkerchief in her mouth and dragged her away.
Chen Pingting: ...
By now, she had already imagined dozens of ways for Xiao Li to die. Her anger flared, uncontrollable and soaring.
Then, she heard the voice she longed for day and night.
"Xue Yin, I’ve made you suffer."
In an instant, all her pain vanished.
She scrambled to her feet, yanked the handkerchief from her mouth, and peered in the direction of the voice. A single glance was enough to make her eyes burn with fury.
’Why is Lu Yanzhi hugging Liu Xueyin?’
Liu Xueyin was crying, her sobs like the whimpers of an aggrieved kitten. "Brother Yanzhi... what should I do...?"
"I can accept that the Prince is cold and heartless toward me, but why did those people have to hurt Changge? He’s just a child, yet he suffered so much. My heart aches for him."
"When you were injured, Brother Yanzhi, I couldn’t even visit the Lu family. And now you’ve been imprisoned by the Princess because of me. It’s so hard just to see you."
"Brother Yanzhi, why is fate so cruel? Why must it make me suffer so much?"
Ah, Lu Yanzhi. That refined, aloof, and detached noble—the one who supposedly desired nothing—was now gently comforting the delicate woman in his arms, his voice so soft it could melt.
"Go on and cry. You’ll feel better once it’s all out."
"Don’t worry, I’m here for you."
"Trust me, it won’t be for much longer. I will get justice for all the wrongs you’ve suffered."
Liu Xueyin cried until she went limp in his embrace. "And Aling... he had already lost his family, why did the Princess have to be so ruthless? His heart was pierced, his head was nearly severed... SOB... I hate her so much! I wish I could kill Xuanyang! How could she be so cruel?"
The hand stroking her back paused.
As if sensing something, Liu Xueyin suddenly grabbed the front of Lu Yanzhi’s robes, her face stained with tears, her grief laced with hatred. "Brother Yanzhi, I want to avenge Aling! I want her to pay in blood! Will you help me kill her? Please, help me kill her!"
A flicker of hesitation crossed Lu Yanzhi’s eyes, but how could he refuse the plea of his beloved while she was in such pain? He cupped her face in his hands. "Alright."
From the shadows, Xiao Li: "..."
’Seriously, why did they have to come to the palace to cry? And why are they shouting about murder so loudly?’
’Are they afraid someone *won’t* hear them?’
’Kill me? If heaven hadn’t cheated on my behalf, those two would already be a pair of ghostly lovebirds in the underworld.’
’I came to see a show, but instead of finding any amusement, I just ended up disgusted.’
Xiao Li had seen the two of them carrying on before, so this scene wasn’t anything new. Bored, she turned to leave, only to find Chen Pingting still lying motionless on the ground.
She reached out and poked her shoulder. Chen Pingting slowly turned her head, her face streaked with tears, her eyes vacant.
’Oh? Looks like someone’s about to break.’
Xiao Li had never considered Lu Yanzhi her husband. There were no feelings, no thoughts of him in that way, and certainly no possessiveness, let alone jealousy.
Seeing Chen Pingting’s heartbroken and shattered expression, Xiao Li just ’couldn’t bear it’ and decided to give her a little push.
She lifted her foot, kicked Chen Pingting straight into the middle of the illicit affair, and turned to leave, her good deed done in secret.
"Ah." "AH!"
Two shrieks rang out. It seemed they were having a very pleasant reunion.
Xiao Li’s cheerful smile deepened when she saw Feng Yin. "Young Master Feng, waiting for some young lady?"
Caught off guard by her teasing tone, the already nervous Feng Yin instantly blushed. He didn’t dare to look at her charming smile and lowered his head. "I heard that the Princess was punished to the point of fainting. When I learned you had entered the palace, I wanted to see if you were feeling any better."
Xiao Li couldn’t help but chuckle. "So you were worried about me. Well, now you’ve seen for yourself. Aside from my hands being sore and feeling sleepy, everything is just fine."
Feng Yin’s gaze swept over her hands. A wide gold bracelet, inlaid with magnificent blood-red gems, adorned her snow-white wrist, making her skin seem to glow.
He then looked at her face—as beautiful as a hibiscus flower carved from jade, radiant and dazzling. But before he could get a closer look, his eyes met hers, which were filled with playful mockery. Startled, he immediately looked down, his cheeks burning even hotter.
"This was all my fault, yet the Princess was punished because of it. It was I who..."
"Enough!"
Xiao Li cut him off, raising a finger to gently poke his cheek.
"While I do find your stuffy, blockheaded nature quite charming, being overly pedantic isn’t cute anymore."
"I was the one who hit them. It has nothing to do with you. Don’t overthink it, and stop walking around in front of me with that long face."
"And remember to be a little more discerning. No one is nice to someone else for no reason. They’re all up to no good."
Feng Yin froze, stunned by the poke to his cheek and by the fragrant scent that washed over him—a faint smell of powder mixed with another indescribably pleasant aroma.
Xiao Li: "..."
She held back, then held back again, but finally couldn’t resist and gave his cheek a firm pinch.
’Tsk, just as I thought. It feels great.’
Having gotten her fun, a smug Xiao Li sauntered away, leaving the young master standing there questioning his life.
The Princess’s ever-smiling eyes were etched in his mind. She had pinched his cheek and even said she was ’up to no good’...
The innocent young master was about to be scared silly.
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Xiao Li had kicked the girl out, certain that Chen Pingting was now face-to-face with that pair.
But by the time the longevity banquet began, no news of a commotion had emerged.
Chen Pingting obediently followed the Empress Dowager out to the feast. When she sensed Xiao Li’s gaze on her, she quickly lowered her head, looking guilty.
’Knowing her usual bullshit,’ Xiao Li was sure she’d been persuaded by that couple. Not only was she not angry, she was probably helping them cover it up and might even try to screw her over later.
She had no intention of trying to win Chen Pingting over to her side. ’A love-addled brain like that would just drool even if you cured it.’
Now, she was just curious whether Chen Pingting had told Lu Yanzhi and his lover about her presence. If so, what kind of expression would Lu Yanzhi have when he saw her later?